1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to liquid dispensing machines and containers that can be filled from the liquid dispensing machines. More particularly, the invention relates to a liquid dispensing machine that is designed to dispense a liquid into a container, such as a bottle, that is specifically designed to be filled with a liquid dispensed from the liquid dispensing vending machines and the number of refills are tracked.
2. Background Discussion
Conventional vending machines typically dispense pre-packaged food and beverages, one example being bottled water. Beverage dispensing machines may also dispense water from a source. Such vending machines typically include a metal machine cabinet which houses a water purification system such as a reverse osmosis and/or filtration system for producing a supply of water from a tap water source. The vending machine cabinet normally defines a forwardly open dispense chamber into which a customer can place a water bottle or container beneath a dispensing nozzle. A control panel on the machine cabinet is then manipulated by the user, in conjunction with the deposit of an appropriate payment via one or more coin slots or the like, to activate the machine to dispense a selected volume of purified water into the customer-supplied bottle. Vending machines of this type are commonly available at many shopping centers, supermarkets and other public places to provide a convenient source of food and beverages.
However, in the above-described conventional vending machines, the discharge end of the dispense nozzle is typically exposed at the upper side of the open dispense chamber, where the dispense nozzle can be manually grasped or otherwise contacted by foreign objects from the exterior of the vending machine. Such exposure unfortunately subjects the dispense nozzle to inadvertent contamination as well as deliberate vandalism.
Also, when water is dispensed from such a machine, the container or bottle that receives the water may not be sanitary. Because these water vending machines are located in public places, a user may not have the facilities available to clean the water or liquid receiving bottle after each use or prior to refilling. Consequently, harmful micro organisms may grow in the unclean bottle.
The present invention provides an improved liquid dispensing system.